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Spring Lake - Break Data
Surf spot travel photo of Spring Lake
Description
Mambo Beach, a hollow beachbreak, and Washington, a longboard haven, form the north end of Spring Lake. Plan on some mushy takeoffs and plenty of hassles with the "log set" at Washington, as it is one of Spring Lake's designated surfing beaches. The other surfing beach is at the very end of Spring Lake and is commonly called Surfer's Beach or Kook Bay. Surfer's is always crowded, as you can just drive up, check it and go. It can be really fun on a south swell, as the inside corner will bowl up and produce a really fun, hollow left. Generally, Surfer's is a mushy wave and a great beginner spot.

At the south end of Spring Lake, you'll find another series of jetties that can produce some great days. The actual South End Jetty is a bit longer than the rest, because the sandbar is a bit farther outside, so it's a good spot on bigger days. There's also a left just down the beach that can get good on a northeast swell.
-- mike brown 		Best Tide:
low
Best Swell Direction:
anything but W
Best Size:
flat to double overhead
Best Wind:
W
Perfect-O-Meter:
8 (1=Lake Erie; 10=Jeffreys Bay)
Bottom:
sand, occasional rock
Ability Level:
beginner to advanced
Bring Your:
shortboard, longboard, golf clubs
Best Season:
any
Access:
$5 beach fee
Crowd Factor:
heavy
Local Vibe:
moderate
Bicep Burn:
7 (1=1ft Waikiki; 10=15ft Ocean Beach)
Poo Patrol:
3 (1=clean; 10=turds in the lineup)
Hazards:
Lifeguards can be heavy when the surf is good.
Places To Eat
Right at the Inlet, there are a couple of burger joints, but, unless you're desperate, you can shine them both. A few blocks down are Gee Gee's (732-223-4887) and Leggett's (732528-1544) pizza, with the latter offering Heineken on draft. Ray's Cafe (732-449-1717) in Sea Girt isn't fancy, but it's the best in town at any time of day, and a favorite hangout of former NFL head coach Bill Parcells. Spring Lake has a few swanky beachside restaurants to shrink your wallet. The Beach House (732-449-9646) has a great menu, but is only open in the summer months and has painfully slow bartenders, while The Porch (732-449-5880), just across from Mambo Beach, always has 75-cent drafts with a pool table and great menu. In Belmar, Don's Pizza King (732-681-6373) offers the requisite Jersey pie and is run by some friendly locals. For dinner, try Chef Ed's (732-280-0444) great fish entrees, near the pier. Armadillo Crossing (732-280-1880) and Ragin' Cajun (732-280-6828) are also worth checking out.
Places To Stay
Forget about it. Unless you know somebody (photographer Bruce Chrisner lives 50 yards from the Inlet), you're out of luck. There are no hotels or campgrounds in town. Manasquan is all beach cottages, most of which are permanent residences. There are hotels just across the bridge into Point Pleasant, and a couple of mom-and-pop motor inns 10 minutes inland. Renting a house is ludicrous in summer, but dirt-cheap off-season.

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Things To Do
Manasquan is a resort town with two different phases: summer and the other seasons. From June through August, clubs and bars are packed with young singles from North Jersey. The Union Landing Restaurant (732528-6665) in Brielle, about a half-mile upriver from the Inlet, is home of the MIC, and the outside patio bar has become the place to rock and roll for the surf crowd. In Sea Girt, The Parker House (732-449-0442), an old Victorian-style mansion one block from Pier Beach, is definitely the hangout, but bars in Sea Girt close at midnight. The Porch (732-449-5880) and McFadden's (732-449-9210) are two great hangs in Spring Lake. Both located on Route 71, they have bands on weekends, with McFadden's featuring Planet Spam on Friday night. With more than 20 bars in Belmar, it becomes an Animal House town in summer, with many New Yorkers doing the summer rental thing. The party theme in Belmar carries over after summer, and some of the cheesiest bars become the coolest places. Paul's (732-280-9411) plays surf movies and has a great house band called Dicky Love. If Billy Hector is playing across the street at Jason's Jazz Bar (732-681-1416), he's worth a look. With all of Belmar's nightlife, the best time to catch uncrowded surf is always Sunday morning. During the daylight hours, there's a skatepark at Nearby Tom's River, and deep-sea fishing charters run continuously out of Manasquan Inlet.
Surf Shops
Inlet Outlet, Manasquan, 732-2235842
The Board Room, downtown Spring Lake, 732-449-4455
Eastern Lines, Belmar, closed during the week in winter, 732-681-6405.
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